Shadow Games
by cdog1917
Summary: Taran and company are thrown into a survival game full of hazardous obstacles and creatures. What's worse is they're paired with Dooku, Ceran, and Grievous. What makes the challenge even more difficult is that to win it, they all must be alive by the time the game is finished or else they will all perish anyway. Will former enemies work together, or die together?
1. Fruitless Ventures

Ahsoka stood outside on the planet Bothawui, waiting for Taran to arrive. Over the next two months, the four of them had split off by themselves to search the galaxy to find Ceran. So far none of them had much luck, though Anakin had come close to finding him, but the young acolyte had slipped from his fingers. Now they were to rendezvous here. Since Taran was the closest, only one sector away compared to Anakin's four and Obi-Wan's six, he was to arrive first. The _Resolute_ was docked on the planet's dry docks, which would take off as soon as the everyone got here.

Ahsoka saw the outline of a forest-green colored _Interceptor-class_ fighter fly out of the clouds towards the Resolute. She smiled, knowing who its occupant was. She hurried over to the Resolute, watching the fighter disappear into the ship's dorsal hangar. Thankfully she was only so far away from the ship. She climbed up the ship's ramp and into the ship itself, racing towards the hangar.

Inside the hangar, Taran stepped out of his fighter. He gazed for awhile at the green highlights around it, the Republic symbol on the left, and the Elementian emblem on the right, containing the symbol of the United Republic as well (This is for the Legend of Korra, which though rushed, was still a kick-ass show). His skin was slightly darker, a more brown complexion rather than light-brown due to his search on planets with high temperatures and exposure to the sun, and he was taller, now a full inch taller than her, though the addition of her montrals didn't make it seem like much. He wished he had found a single trace of Ceran, even a rumor or a hint, but he ended up chasing nothing for two months. R3 popped out of the droid socket on the side of the ship, coming next to Taran, whistling something.

"I know, chasing ghosts. At least on my planet you see them every now and again," Taran. He felt Ahsoka's presence behind him and turned around to see her. He smiled, glad to be back with her by his side. The two lovers hugged, glad to be back together again.

"Don't worry, we'll find him," she said to reassure him once they pulled apart, but still in each others arms

"I hope so. If he finds out what kind of power he has, then we're all in danger," said Taran.

_(Flashback)_

_Taran was still visibly shaken as they made their way back to the ship, running as they did._

_"Taran, you haven't explained anything to us. Why is Ceran so important all of a sudden?" said Anakin._

_"There's no time! The sooner we find him, the faster we can neutralize probably the worst threat imaginable," said Taran, still zoned out._

_"But why? Does he have some kind of weapon?" said Obi-Wan as the three of them tried to keep up with Taran._

_"Yes, well kind of," said Taran, still only giving them so much information as they got to the shipyard where the Resolute and two other ships of the Open Circle Fleet, the Intrepid and the Dauntless, awaited them. _

_"Taran, this makes no sense," said Anakin. "There's something you're not telling us." _

_"It doesn't matter," said Taran, still hurrying as fast as he could to the Resolute. "The sooner we leave the better." Suddenly, Taran felt himself being lifted up, he turned to see Ahsoka using the Force with one hand to levitate him up. Concern was etched all over her face. _

_"Taran, please, tell us why this is important," she said softly. At first Taran didn't say anything as he was brought back to the ground, but finally sadness gave way as he hung his head in shame. _

_"There's something about me you need to know," said Taran, "and you might not like it. You all know my name's more Corellian than Elementian?" The three of them nodded._

_"One of my ancestors was a very unpleasant man, and because of him I'm bound by a great power, and a great curse. That's all I can say right now," said Taran. "We have to find Ceran now because if he finds a way to access this power, he'll be near unstoppable, maybe even worse than the power the ring gave." _

_Although they were unsure, Obi-Wan stepped forward. _

_"I'm not sure what this power is or where it came from, but if Ceran has it, he has to be stopped," said Obi-Wan. _

_(End flashback)_

"There's something that I can't get my mind off of. Who is your ancestor?" said Ahsoka. Taran's face darkened.

"I can't tell you," said Taran.

"Taran, please? It can't be that bad," said Ahsoka. Taran let go, his head down.

"You have no idea what kind of person he was," said Taran as he began to walk away, leaving Ahsoka standing there confused and worried.

* * *

Anakin arrived next, his fighter landing beside Taran's. Ahsoka was there to greet him, but she looked slightly melancholy.

"Everything alright Ahsoka?" he said as he got out.

"I'm worried about Taran. He's more down on himself and he won't talk to me, or anyone else, about it," said Ahsoka.

"He's holding a big secret, and one that could probably ruin his life. I don't know what I'd be doing if it were me, probably the same thing," said Anakin. "Give him time, he'll open up."

"Okay, but maybe I should stay with him for awhile to make sure he'll be okay," said Ahsoka.

"Alright, but don't do anything I wouldn't approve of in there," said Anakin, his glare returning.

She chuckled a little. "Same old master."

"I'm serious."

* * *

Taran lay on his bed, gazing at the wall. Many thoughts were swimming around his head, but one was the most prominent.

_"Why did it have to be me?"_

As his mind focused on that thought, he felt anger begin to swell in him.

_"Why did he have to be my ancestor?" _

_"Why do these things always happen to me?"_

_"Couldn't this have happened to someone else?" _

"Ah, still pondering are we?" said a dark voice. Taran swiftly turned to see a dark, imposing shadow in the corner of the room. _  
_

"What are you doing here?"

"Why can't you accept your fate? You're of my flesh and blood, and that's something no one can run away from."

"Shut up! I wish I could if it meant getting away from you!" Taran yelled at the shadow.

"Ah, but you can't. You can't run away from fate," it said before it disappeared.

"Just stay away from me!" yelled Taran as it retreated away.

"Stay away from what?" said Ahsoka.

"Ah!" said Taran, scared nearly out of his wits because he didn't know she was standing at the door.

"Oh, hi Soka," said Taran, still a bit shaky.

"Who were you talking to?" said Ahsoka.

"Oh, just...nobody," said Taran. Ahsoka gazed at him before she shut the door and locked it. She walked over and sat on the bed, still looking at him.

"Tell me what's bothering you," she said softly.

"Nothing, I'm fine," said Taran.

"Taran, I know you. You're not alright," said Ahsoka.

"You don't know me! You don't know how I feel, or how I can stand not knowing where Ceran, or how I never wanted to have a power that could..." he said, but stopped as he gazed at the wall where he last saw the shadow.

"I know you're not alright Taran," said Ahsoka, coming up and turning him to face her. "And I just want to help you get through it."

"But how can you?" said Taran, his voice so soft she could barely hear it. She took his hand and lead him to the bed, sitting him down and forcing him to lay back. She got on top of him and gazed down at him.

"I don't care who your ancestor was or what he did. What makes you different is that I know that you're capable of doing good things, no matter how dangerous. You remember this?" she said as she showed him her green crystal necklace.

"Yes."

"It's the best thing you've ever given me, and it meant the world to me when you did. I love it, just as I love the person who gave it to me when he didn't have to," said Ahsoka. Taran felt his emotions heighten after she said that. He remembered how he got her the necklace, being sent to death in an arena on Dathomir.

_Grom, as if in a daze, paced around for a little. Then he roared and used his arms to climb on the wall into the stands. The Nightsisters screamed and ran in terror as Grom got on top of the stands, trying to grab them and kill them They all ran out of the arena, followed by Grom, who smashed the entrance to continue attacking them. Once he was out of sight Taran lowered his arms and fell to his knees, exhausted._

_"That was really brave what you did Taran," said Anakin as he helped Taran to his feet._

_"Thanks, that was the first time I used the mind trick," said Taran._

_"Come on, let's get out of here," said Anakin._

_"Wait, there's one thing I need to do," said Taran. He went to the center of the arena, shuffled some sand away, and picked up the green crystal he had seen._

_"So, you found one," said Anakin._

_"I can sense that this one is good enough. It has some kind of quality that I'm sure Ahsoka will like," said Taran..._

_Anakin went past, said happy birthday to her, and left to go on the bridge, leaving her and Taran alone._

_"I got you something," said Taran._

_"What is it?" said Ahsoka._

_"Close your eyes," said Taran. She happily obliged. Taran came up to her, pulled the necklace out, and put it around her neck._

_"Okay, open." She opened her eyes and saw the green crystal tied around her neck._

_"Taran, it's beautiful," she told him._

_"It has a special quality I'm not sure of, but when the time comes then you'll know," said Taran._

_"I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend," she said, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him into a kiss._

"Ahsoka, I do love you, more than words can describe, but I have to do this on my own. I can't tell you who it is until the time is right, and I'm telling you that even you will cringe a bit when you find out," Taran said sadly.

"But Taran-"

"Please, Master Yoda says I must do this alone," said Taran. Ahsoka nodded, though she wanted to disagree with him. She got off of him, holding his hands.

"Anakin's here if you were wondering," she said.

"That's good. Once Obi-Wan gets here we can go and find Ceran," said Taran. He sat up, Ahsoka still in his lap as he gazed at her eyes, which so captivated him.

"I'll tell you when the time is right," he said, kissing her softly. She returned it just as softly. Though she was still disappointed, she respected his decisions, and reminded herself that if this situation were switched she would have done the same thing.

_"But how bad can it be?"_

* * *

Obi-Wan landed his fighter in the hangar next to Anakin and Taran's. Stepping out of the cockpit, he looked around to see everyone in the hangar making checkups or loading supplies and material onto the ship. His journey came up just as empty as the others, and to be honest he wanted to know why it was so important to find Ceran in the first place. Sure Ceran was a threat, but there was something Taran wasn't telling anybody that might lead to a sinister truth.

"Good to see you back Obi-Wan," said Anakin as he came up to greet.

"Hell Anakin. Are we ready to leave?" said Obi-Wan.

"Almost, they're prepping the engines as we speak," said Anakin.

"Good, and I expect Taran and Ahsoka to be ready as well?" said Obi-Wan.

"Yes. They're ready," said Anakin.

"So where do we go?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I'm not sure. Hopefully Taran can provide some insight," said Anakin.

"Speaking of Taran, where is he?" said Obi-Wan.

"Ahsoka just went after him," said Anakin.

"And you're okay with them, alone?" said Obi-Wan. Anakin had told Obi-Wan about what had happened during their time on Korriban, leaving out his relationship with Padme.

"Aren't you?" said Anakin. Obi-Wan thought for a moment. He always trusted Taran, but he was still a bit iffy on this was against the Jedi Code to be in a relationship anyway, but he knew Taran had a rebellious trait in him, probably influenced by Anakin and his past lives.

"I trust them to do the right thing," said Obi-Wan.

"Same here. Now let's get up to the bridge, we have a lot of ground to cover," said Anakin.

"I was thinking the same thing," said Obi-Wan. The two Jedi walked their way up to the bridge, greeting fellow clone troopers and officers along the way. The two got up to the bridge where Admiral Wullfe was waiting for them, and to their surprise Taran and Ahsoka, but they were looking at a galactic map in the briefing room.

"Good to see you again General Skywalker and General Kenobi," said Wullfe.

"Admiral," said Obi-Wan and Anakin as a sign of greeting. Wullfe excused himself as he went over to the flight control crew as they prepped the ship. Obi-Wan and Anakin walked into the briefing map where Taran and Ahsoka were highlighting the planets and systems they had checked. Sensing their presence, Taran turned around and smiled as he beheld them after two months.

"Nice to see you back," said Taran.

"The feeling is mutual. Any leads?" said Obi-Wan.

"Not really. Every place I've been to has given me the same finding: nothing," said Taran.

"This is odd. Where can he be at?" said Anakin. "It's like he knows we're looking for him."

"I don't think so. Master Yoda and I are the only ones that know," said Taran. "But still, I doubt even Separatists get leave."

"So what do we do?" said Ahsoka.

"For now, we need to get back to the war. Ceran will have to wait for now," said Obi-Wan.

"Understood," said Taran, though he looked somewhat downcast.

"Admiral, any systems that are in need of our aid?" said Obi-Wan.

"None so far, although Master Plo requests reinforcements," said Wullfe.

"Where to?"

"It's a planet near the Umbaran system. We don't exactly have a name for it, but he is under attack," said Wullfe.

"Separatists?"

"Yes sir. A battle fleet," said Wullfe.

"Alright. Signal the other ships and prepare to go into hyperspace," said Obi-Wan.

"Yes sir."


	2. The Mysterious Force?

"Concentrate fire on the battleship. Have the fighter squadrons harass those cruisers to redirect their fire," said Master Plo.

"Master, what about the destroyers on the right?" said Tia, a green female Twi'lek.

"Don't worry. Me and Sapphire Squadron have this," said Bruck, a male Zabrak as he chased a trio of Vulture droids. "How long till the reinforcements come?"

"I don't know. We've contacted Coruscant, but I'm not sure if any are available. We might be on our own," said Plo as he surveyed. Overall things were grim. They were outnumbered 3:1, with 4 Venators taking a fleet consisting of 1 battleship, 5 frigates, 4 cruisers, and 2 light destroyers. They were also outnumbered by 4:1 with starfighters as tri-fighters and Vulture droids reeked havoc, drawing away valuable fighter support. All the Venators were damaged, and their fighters couldn't hold back the numerous droid forces for much longer.

"Master if we don't get support soon, we're doomed," said Bruck as he now weaved between the Separatist ships. Frankly, he was right. Luckily, at the moment he finished his sentence, four more Venators came out of hyperspace behind the Separatist fleet, shooting as soon as they exited. Because the Separatist fleet was preoccupied with the Republic fleet in front of them, and from the sudden attack, they couldn't turn around to face their new threat. The Venators guns wreaked havoc on the rears of the Separatist ships, hastily taking out their engines and pouring fire onto the hulls. The tables had turned in favor of the Republic.

"Scramble fighters to mop up the rest of theirs, and assemble some boarding parties. Maybe there's some information onboard that battleship or maybe that frigate," said Obi-Wan.

"Alright. Let's go," said Anakin. The four Jedi headed to the hangar, as everyone scrambled to their posts, starfighters took off to engage in the battle.

"I'll come with you sir," said Rex.

"No Rex. You and Cody take the main boarding party to the destroyer. We'll handle the battleship," said Obi-Wan.

"Yes sir," said Rex and Cody.

"And good luck General Kenobi," said Cody.

"Tags, Hunter, Bogs, and Felix, come with us," said Obi-Wan.

"Yes sir," the four clones said.

"Our ship will head to the battleship. The rest of you will board their frigate and take it," said Obi-Wan. The clones cheered and headed towards their LAATs. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Taran, Ahsoka, and the four clones Tags, Hunter, Bogs, and Felix, boarded their LAAT. Plo Koon hailed Obi-Wan on his comlink.

"You came in the nick of time Master Kenobi," said Plo.

"Master Plo, we're preparing to board the battleship," said Obi-Wan.

"I'll send Bruck and Tia to assist you," said Plo.

"Good. There help will be needed. Kenobi out," said Obi-Wan as the LAAT hovered up and rose out of the hangar into the darkness of space, this area lit up with capital ships, laser fire, and hundreds of starfighters. Their gunship raced towards the main Separatist battleship, passing through dogfights and laser fire from both sides. The pilot kept the ship steady, only banking every now and again if a Separatist fighter lay in its path guns blazing.

Inside, the eight passengers waited patiently for their ship to reach its destination. They could hear the noise of battle outside, the explosions and lights from outside illuminating the little space they had inside. Taran's eyes were on the floor as he was thinking. His thoughts were focused on Ceran and where he could be at. Suddenly, just as he was about to shift his thoughts, he felt a familiar presence. His eyes widened, knowing whose presence he was feeling. He focused on the battleship, searching for it. Just as fast as he began focusing, he was able to find it.

"Master," said Taran.

"Yes?"

"Ceran's onboard," said Taran. Anakin and Ahsoka's eyes widened, as did Obi-Wan's.

"Are you sure?" said Obi-Wan. Taran nodded, more sure than ever.

"I sense Dooku as well, and also Grievous," said Anakin. Their gunship pulled into the Separatist hangar bay and landed, the bay doors opening to let out. As soon as they were opened, the four Jedi activated their lightsabers and rushed out, deflecting the blaster rounds from the numerous droids in the hangar. The clones returned fire, picking off the droids a shot at a time.

Ahsoka cut through two battle droids with relative ease, disarming them (literally) and plunging both her blades into them. Coming up behind her, Taran jumped onto her shoulder and jumped off, her feeling nothing, his lightsabers whirling and cutting four droids in half ahead of her. Obi-Wan and Anakin cut down droids like they were in a chop shop, going so fast the droids processors could scarcely pick them up.

* * *

(15 minutes ago)

"Sir, we've picked up new signals coming out of hyperspace," said a droid pilot.

"Where?" said Count Dooku, the de-facto head of the Separatists.

"Behind us," said the droid. Just as it finished, four Republic ships came out behind their ships guns blazing.

"Why did you not tell us this sooner?!" said General Grievous.

"You didn't ask," said the pilot. Grievous picked up the droid and hurled it to the other side of the room, crashing into two more droid pilots.

"I think we may need to consider a tactical retreat," said Ceran as he looked at the battle with Plo Koon's fleet while he felt the explosions hitting the back of the ship from Obi-Wan's fleet.

"Sir, we just lost our engines," said another pilot droid.

"And sir, a boarding party has landed in our hangar," said another.

"Put it on the screen," said Dooku. A hologram projector formed on the floor and the images were broadcast. They could see a squad of clones on there, as well as the four Jedi who boarded it. Ceran felt himself seize up as he recognized all four of them, including the one with a green lightsabers bending a squad of battle droids into a wall with an air wave.

"Why must they always meddle in our affairs," said Dooku, rubbing his forehead. Ceran continued to stare at Taran's image as it mercilessly cut through battle droid after battle droid. Dooku noticed this and wondered why. Sure Ceran was Taran's clone, but this time this stare was different. It wasn't one of anger, hatred, or anything else, but something else.

"I say we go and crush them now," said Grievous, heading to the hangar flanked by two Magnaguards.

"I concur," said Dooku. The two began to make their way down to the hangar. Dooku noticed someone from their group...

"Ceran?" said Dooku, wondering why his acolyte wasn't doing anything.

"I'll be there soon Count," said Ceran, still looking at the holoprojector.

"Now!" said Dooku. Ceran, not taking his eyes off the hologram, made his way with them before turning fully in their direction.

_"There's something not right with this,"_ Dooku thought.

* * *

"Bruck, for the love of the Force do not EVER do that again!" said Taran as he and Bruck were fighting a squad of Super Battle Droids. Bruck and Tia had made an entrance into the battle in the hangar, their entrance consisting of them crashing into the hangar with their starfighters and take out a platoon each as the fighters skidded to a halt right in front of the four Jedi, with Bruck's fighter coming within inches of Taran.

"Where's the fun in that? Besides you know how I like to make an entrance," said Bruck. Bruck, tan-skinned, was taller now, already taller than all of them, standing at 5'9 inches, and wearing a dark brown tunic with black pants and black Jedi boots. His hazel eyes sparked with life, and a ferocity that could be unleashed at his most powerful. Tia was Ahsoka's height of 5'6", light-green-skinned and wearing an outfit similar to what Aayla Secura wore, except it was black and some fabric covered around her midriff the same way Ahsoka's did.

"Yes, and believe me when I say the last few times (cuts through a SBD) was terrifying," said Taran.

"Get use to it Taran," said Bruck, smiling as he ricocheted a blaster bolt back at a droid, sending its head flying off. The droids in the hangar were thinning as the now six Jedi destroyed them. The clones particularly kept up their barrage of fire on the droids, scoring kill after kill. Soon there was only a handful of droids left, and that number soon dwindled down to nothing.

Anakin sliced the last droid down the middle, separating it into two equal halves.

"That was fast," said Obi-Wan. "Now let's head up to the bridge. I'm sure Ceran, Dooku, and Grievous are waiting for us." Just as they were about to move, another ship landed in the hangar. It seemed to be a stealth fighter of an unknown design that looked like a sleek, black triangle with a cockpit and solar wings that folded up on the side that projected outwards when the ship was in flight. It landed softly on the ground and the cockpit opened up to reveal a bald, grey woman with a cloak.

"Ventress?" said Obi-Wan.

"Ventress?!" said everyone else.

"Surprise Kenobi. Don't worry, I'm not here for you. I'm here to finish something that should have been done with months ago," said Ventress as she stepped out of her fighter. Though she was no longer an 'enemy' of the Republic, the group was still a little unsettled about her, especially Ahsoka, who couldn't ever trust her after their past experiences. If Ahsoka had a flaw, it was holding grudges.

"Alright, but no funny business," said Obi-Wan.

"Please Kenobi, like I said your not who I'm after," said Ventress.

Suddenly, a massive fireball appeared from down a hallway heading straight for Bruck.

"Bruck! Get down!" yelled Taran as he dove and tackled his friend to the ground to escape the blast. The others jumped back as the blast crashed into the end of the hall.

"What was that?" said Bruck.

"That would be Ceran," said Taran as they got up. Sure enough, at the end of the hall, Ceran stood, the smoke from his fire around him, obscuring him partially from view before he stepped forward.

"Wow, he does look like Taran," said Tia as she studied him carefully.

"You shouldn't have come here," said Ceran, looking directly at Taran.

"Tell me something I don't know," said Taran, readying himself for a fight. From behind the smoke, four more figures entered. Count Dooku and Grievous, flanked by two Magnaguards, entered the room.

"Hmm, an odd collection. Ventress and Kenobi working together? How unpredictable," said Dooku.

"You'll pay for betraying me Count," said Ventress, activating her lightsabers.

"Not as much as you will Ventress," said Dooku, his lightsaber at the ready, as were Grievous's lightsabers. The Magnaguards flexed their electrostaffs, ready to do battle.

Suddenly, the ship rocked, sending everyone except Dooku, Ceran, Grievous, and the Magnaguards, to the ground. The ship's alarms blared, indicating the ship was at a critical condition.

"However, this will have to wait for some other time," said Dooku as they turned and began to make their way to an escape pod in another part of the ship.

"What should we do?" said Bruck.

"I think it would be better to find a way off the ship before it-Taran!" yelled Obi-Wan as Taran took off down the hall in pursuit of Ceran.

"Taran, wait!"

"He's not getting away this time!" Taran yelled back as he turned a corner and disappeared from view.

"Your padawan sure doesn't take on following orders well," said Ventress. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and the others took off in Taran's direction.

Up ahead Taran was gaining on the Separatists. He launched an air wave that knocked them forward onto themselves and erected a fire wall to separate Ceran from the rest of them. Ceran got up, glaring at Taran.

"You're not escaping this time," said Taran threateningly, his lightsabers lowered towards Ceran.

"Oh, plan to kill me here huh?" said Ceran, his hands slowly going for his lightsabers.

"You're too dangerous to let loose," said Taran, preparing to attack.

"Well then you better try," said Ceran as he activated his lightsabers as soon as he attacked, his lightsabers pressed to Taran's. Ceran attacked him ferociously, pressing Taran farther back against the wall, the edge of his lightsabers dangerously close to Taran's face.

"You could have just left well enough alone, but no you always have to be the shining knight they want you to be!" yelled Ceran, kneeing Taran savagely in his ribs, making Taran cry out. Seizing his chance, Ceran sent a gust of air to dissipate the fire wall and run for Dooku and Grievous.

"No you're not!" yelled Taran, causing the ceiling of the hallway to collapse, sealing the end of the hallway and blocking them.

"We don't have time for this," said Grievous. He signaled his Magnaguards to attack Taran as Dooku and Ceran cut through the metal. The Magnaguards attacked Taran, using synchronized attacks to keep Taran off-balance. Taran couldn't let Ceran get away, but the Magnaguards were keeping him from his goal. He defended himself, patiently waiting for the right chance to strike to finish off the droids in a single blow, but their attacks ensured that he could only block one in just enough time before the other one attacked him as well.

Ceran and Dooku cut through the metal blocking their escape and hurriedly went through the hole, followed by Grievous. Taran tried to follow them, but one of the Magnaguards blocked his way. Just as it seemed like he would never be able to advance, a green lightsaber plunged into the back of the one behind him, enabling Taran to quickly get past the other by sidestepping an attack and cutting it in half.

"Thanks," Taran said to Ahsoka before he dove through and dashed down the hallway.

"Anytime," said Ahsoka, taking her lightsaber out of the Magnaguard. "Always on the move."

Taran put away his lightsabers to fashion up an air scooter, speeding as fast as he could down the corridor that led to the escape pods. He saw them entering the large circular room where the pods lay. Dismounting off the scooter by jumping off of it, he launched himself into the air and landed in front of them, lightsabers ready.

"You're going to have to go through me if you want to escape," said Taran. Giving him dark looks, all three drew their lightsabers. Taran was outnumbered three-to-one and when counting lightsabers he was outgunned seven-to-two if one counted Grievous's two extras. He didn't know how he could hold them up long enough for the others to arrive, but he had faced long odds before and this one was no different.

Grievous attacked first, his two lightsabers hitting Taran's one, leaving Taran free to use his other lightsaber to swing at the cyborg's torso, causing Grievous to back off. The cyborg whirled his blades around like a windmill, making Taran duck and attack from below, striking Grievous's lightsabers up and unbalancing him. Just as Dooku and Ceran were about to join in, the others arrived. Ventress and Anakin attacked Dooku while Ahsoka and Tia took on Ceran. Bruck and Obi-Wan ran over to help Taran fight Grievous. Grievous took out his other two lightsabers to even the playing field.

Now everyone was locked in combat, fighting their opponents ferociously. The walls were covered in scars from the lightsabers that had slashed along them, and circuitry that was cut fizzed sparks continuously. Suddenly, the ship rocked forward and everyone was thrown to the ground. Anakin looked outside the viewport to see that the ship was falling towards the planet.

The ship kept tilting down until it was literally plunging down to the surface of the planet like a knife. Everyone fell down the corridor like they had jumped down a vertical tunnel. Ceran reached for a handhold and found it at the end of a hallway that lead to the corridor. Soon everyone else found one as well, hanging on for dear life. They could feel the ship plummeting to the planet's surface, knowing they only had a little time left. Suddenly, they all felt a tingling sensation over come. They noticed that they began to float in the air as if they were in zero-gravity.

"What is this?" said Tia.

"I'm not sure," said Anakin. Suddenly, a blinding white light emerged from the end of the corridor and headed rapidly for them. They were all helpless as it engulfed them one-by-one. The last thing Obi-Wan saw before it got to him was an impenetrable darkness before he knew no more.

* * *

Taran opened his eyes to see a green jungle around him. Trees reached up to the sky as far as the eye could see, and tall grass that went up to his knees covered his body. He took in a breath and found the air to be breathable, if not extremely humid. He sat up to look around, seeing another body right beside him. He moved the grass to see Ceran out like a light, unmoving.

Suddenly, Ceran's eyes opened and focused on him. Before he knew it, Ceran was ontop of him trying to strangle him.

"What did you do?!" he yelled, his fingers trying to desperately find Taran's throat.

"Me?! How can I do anything when I just woke up less than thirty seconds ago?" yelled Taran, working his leg underneath Ceran to kick him off. However, as Ceran was thrown back, Taran found himself following him by the arm. They both landed on the ground, Ceran on his back while Taran was sprawled on the ground on his front.

"What the hell?" said Ceran as he sat up. He looked to see that his hand was cuffed, with the other side of the link attached to Taran's wrist.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," said Ceran. "Now I have to drag you along."

"Believe me, this isn't exactly a walk in the park either," said Taran, sitting up. The chain gave them a max distance of three feet from each other.

"How do we get this chain off?" said Taran. Ceran reached for his belt to where his lightsabers usually were, but found nothing there.

"You wouldn't by chance happen to have your lightsabers on you?" said Ceran. Taran looked down and saw his were gone too, shaking his head.

"Maybe I can metalbend it off," said Taran, focusing on the metal. However, he was unable to.

"It's some kind of alloy that I can't bend," said Taran. Ceran held a link of the chain in his hand and began to shoot flames at it, hoping to melt it. He continued for about five minutes, but all he succeeded in doing was making a red-hot link and and a black scorch mark on the ground.

"Who the Spirits put these on us?" said Ceran.

"I don't know, but he doesn't want us to leave," said Taran. "And there's probably no way to take these off."

"There is one way," said Ceran, very sinisterly.

"What w-" said Taran before Ceran pounced on him, turning him around and put his arm behind his back, bending it in a irregular fashion.

"OW..AHH what the hell are you doin-Gah!" yelled Taran.

"If I can break your arm clean off, we won't be stuck," said Ceran as he continued to bend his arm backwards.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Taran, shooting air from his other hand and sending Ceran, and himself, colliding into a tree. Taran nursed his arm, feeling how close it was to breaking.

"What the hell is your problem?!" yelled Taran.

"Just giving my solution," said Ceran, looking like it didn't bother him.

"You're such an ass," said Taran, still rubbing his arm and shoulder.

"Takes one to know one," said Ceran. Taran felt his eye twitch as he contemplated killing Ceran right at that moment.

"Oh, did I get under your skin?" said Ceran, a sick glint in his eyes like he was mocking him. Taran didn't answer, just glaring at him.

"Relax broth-"

"I'm NOT your brother. I acknowledge what the clones have as brothers, but you are NOT my brother," said Taran, standing up to glare down at Ceran. "I don't care if we're identical and my DNA is the exact same; you're just plain evil and nothing like me."

"Ouch I'm hurting right here," said Ceran pointing to his heart, "but I think you hate me because I represent what you could be."

"What are you talking about?" said Taran, feeling his heart drop.

"Well I'm basically what you would be like if you turned to the dark side, so it only makes sense the reason for your 'misplaced' anger and hatred. In the end, you're just like me," said Ceran, smiling as he felt Taran's heartbeat drop and his eyes slightly widen.

"But, there's something else isn't there? Why else would you want keep trying to find me for all this time unless you found something out, like that little ability you had back when we captured it. You think I might unlock it and use it on you and your friends, especially the Togruta. Ahsoka was it?" said Ceran, smirking. Taran's eyes narrowed as his fists clenched.

"Spirits, I wonder what would happen if something were to happen to her, like if I were to-" Taran jumped on him, punching him across the face. Ceran caught his next punch and delivered a vicious uppercut, sending Taran off of him to the ground. Ceran jumped onto him and the pair rolled around as they grappled at each other. They both got onto their knees at the same time, both charging their fists up with flames as they prepared to deal the final blow to the other.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said a dark, yet gentle voice above them. They both looked to their side and jumped back, startled at what they saw. A large, dark grey-skinned, humanoid creature was above them. It had a gargoyle-type face with human lips and fangs coming from them. His bright, yellow eyes looked down at them as if piercing their very souls. Two short horns adorned his head, the top flat as a table. He had a very well-muscled torso, his lower body below his waist covered by a white skirt tied off by a golden sash that seemed to shimmer and form shapes if one were to gaze at it. His feet came off as regular feet with only two large toes that split right down the middle and sharp nails. He wore a large medallion that looked like a giant, all-seeing eye. His hands had five regular fingers, but with razor sharp nails as well. What startled them the most was that he was levitating two feet off the ground.

"Come," he said, motioning them forward. Taran and Ceran stood frozen, not knowing whether to move or not.

"I said come," it ordered. Hesitantly, both Ceran and Taran got up and began walking forward. The creature turned and started walking, though it was hovering off the ground. Taran and Ceran looked at each other before they continued on their way through the jungle. The jungle flora around them was magnificent. Giant flowers of the brightest colors, ferns that were as large as houses

It wasn't long before they came up on what looked like a temple. It looked like a pyramid in conjunction with a sphere made of a dark-brown stone. A row of stairs lead into the inside, which couldn't be seen from where they were. The creature lead them up the stairs into the cavern, where they could see inside. The cavern lead into a torched room, but there was nothing there.

Suddenly, the floor dropped beneath them, plunging them into darkness as they fell below. Yelling as they fell, they held onto each other. Just as fast as they were falling the floor leveled out and was smooth, causing them to slide and tumble over the other in a ball. The slide kept on going until it deposited them into a room, Ceran sprawled on the floor face first and Taran sprawled facing up to the ceiling.

"Taran!" yelled five other voices.

"Get off!" yelled Ceran, flipping over to send Taran to the floor as the two got up. Taran's eyes refocused to see that everyone was there. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Bruck, and Tia were there, and so was Grievous, Dooku, and Ventress. All had on cuffs like their own, with Anakin paired off with Dooku, Grievous with Obi-Wan, Ahsoka with Ventress, and Bruck with Tia.

"What's going on?" Taran asked.

"We don't know," said Obi-Wan. Suddenly, the chamber they were in lit up and a blinding white light illuminated in the middle of the room. The creature that Taran and Ceran appeared in the light's place.

"Welcome newcomers. I am your host, Xerxes. Welcome to my realm," he said.

"What are we hear for?" said Anakin

"You're here to participate in the Shadow Games, the deadliest contest in the galaxy."


	3. Let the Games Begin

"The Shadow Games?" said Obi-Wan.

"Yes. They are an event on this planet. The contestants must go through a series of tasks and survive, while also working together to survive" said Xerxes.

"Survival tasks with these people? Count me out," said Ventress. "Give us back our lightsabers and we will be on our way."

"It's not voluntary; it's mandatory," said Xerxes.

"Says who?" said Dooku, glaring at him menacingly. (Which he does to everyone all the time)

"I do. If you do not compete, you will die right here and now," said Xerxes, his eyes turning bright red.

"Hmm, we have a great spectacle here," he continued, his eyes turning blue this time, "six Jedi, a Sith Lord, two acolytes, one being a cyborg, and another dark side user. This is quite the catch." He made his way to stand in front of each of them, one at a time.

"Anakin Skywalker. My my my a very powerful Jedi with a great destiny in front of him, yet a very tragic life awaits him," said Xerxes.

"Count Dooku, or Darth Tyranus. Once a Jedi, but turned to the dark side for his own reasons, and now leads a war to destroy them. Very odd indeed."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi. Jedi Master and one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. A full life you have earned, yet will it be enough? Did you teach your students well, or will they fall?"

"General Grievous, or should I say Qymaen jai Sheela, a former Kaleesh warlord with a tragic past as he defended his people, even at the cost of his lover, yet you're current state due to one who you consider an ally. How...disturbing," said Xerxes. Grievous was frozen. No one aside from Count Dooku knew about his past identity.

"Ahsoka Tano. Great talent and great prospects for you, yet a secret," he said, looking to Taran, "that is forbidden, and an uncertain future ahead of you." Ahsoka felt her heart drop, shocked that he knew so much about her already.

"Asajj Ventress. Very painful childhood and past. Always seeking help and guidance, yet never earning it and trudging around until you can one day find it. How sad. You're former Master would be saddened were he still alive," said Xerxes. Ventress made a move to attack, but Ahsoka held her back, fearing the consequences.

"Bruck Kottari. Jedi padawan. I can tell you've told her your feelings, and wait for them to be reciprocated. This can lead to a good future, but will it be cut short?" Bruck's eyes widened.

"Tia Dira. Will you tell him, or hold off because of your own doubts?" said Xerxes. Tia looked away, saddened and ashamed.

"Ceran, a Dark acolyte. My you have quite a life, yet so much you're hiding from everyone, even yourself. How much longer will you continue down this path before it consumes you?" said Xerxes. Ceran continued glowering at him and Xerxes moved to Taran.

"Taran Cyneran. The Avatar of your planet? How wonderful. You're the first one to ever play in this event. You will definitely keep the audience going. Yet, so much pain in your life to this point. Dead parents killed by a bounty hunter, painful encounters with enemies, and a dark secret you haven't told anyone yet. Shall I reveal it to them if you'd like?" said Xerxes. Taran was visibly shaking, fear radiating from him.

"No? I'll leave it to you then," said Xerxes, his eyes reverting back to their bright yellow glow.

"How do you know this about all of us?" said Ceran.

"My powers allow me sight into your past, present, and future," said Xerxes.

"Be that as it may, holding us to participate in these games against our will is not acceptable," said Obi-Wan.

"I fear this will not due. These games are important to our society," said Xerxes.

"I'm sorry, but we refuse," said Obi-Wan.

"Hmm, I thought it might come to this with you Jedi," said Xerxes. He snapped his fingers and more creatures like him came out. They were shorter than him and didn't float off the ground like he did, and had green eyes. Eight came in, two wielding curved swords with jagged edges that resembled the edge of a saw, and six came in dragging three clone troopers, two per clone. The six of them gasped as they saw Hunter, Felix, and Bogs bound and gagged.

"As you can see, these men will be dead if you do not participate," said Xerxes. "And in case you need further encouragement.." He lifted his hand to give a signal and one of the creatures took its sword and stabbed Bogs in a chink of his armor at the neck. Blood flowed from the wound as Bogs choked on his own blood, slumping to the floor as he fought to regain breath for a few seconds before he lay still and died.

"You bastard!" yelled Anakin, preparing to charge at him. Xerxes raised his hand threateningly.

"One more move and the other two die. You will join, or they will perish," said Xerxes, his eyes back to red. Anakin looked at Bogs's body the bloody sword in the minion's hand, and back to Xerxes, barely contained rage in his eyes. Without speaking, he nodded.

"Anyone else?" Xerxes asked. No one responded.

"Good."

* * *

The ten of them were led down a large flight of stairs, two minions flanking them. Their footsteps echoed through the corridor they were descending. It sounded like a rhythmic countdown to their doom.

They arrived at the end of the stairs where a large wooden door loomed in front of them. One of the minions opened the door, and blinding sunlight spilled in. The minions pushed them forward out into the sunlight as they fought to see.

Roaring cheers and applause greeted their ears as they released they were in what looked like an ancient racetrack with the jungle cleared away in this area. High-rise stone stands lined a section of the track that led to the jungle, and in them were crowded thousands of creatures just like the minions that were 'escorting' them. The crowd was clapping, cheering, whistling, and other sounds as they gazed down at the 'contestants'. The group was moved over to the center of the track and left there.

Suddenly a blinding white light emerged in front of them and then vanished, leaving Xerxes in its place, his medallion glowing yellow.

"Welcome one and all to the Shadow Games!" he said, raising his arms. The crowd went wild.

"And welcome to our contestants for their participation in the games," said Xerxes. The crowd roared with thunderous applause.

"Now, here are the rules. Each team has two people, ergo the one you are chained to. Your team must acquire their specified items within three days or else they lose, and losing means death. And also, a special rule has been added. If your partner dies, the other dies as well," said Xerxes. Everyone's face paled with the exception of Grievous.

"Now, begin!" Suddenly their world went black.

**Leave a review if you wish, but also know that the next chapter will be LONG and having German homework isn't helping so an update will be awhile (Based on estimates)**


	4. The First Items

(Ahsoka and Ventress)

When she awoke, Ahsoka found herself with Ventress near a large lake, jungle surrounding the lake. Ventress was still out, unconscious on the ground. Ahsoka shook the cufflink that connected them together, wondering if it would magically break. Ventress woke up as soon as she finished rattling it. She sat up and scanned their surroundings. From the glows of the sun rays in the sky, it was nearly sunset.

"Great, we're in the middle of nowhere," said Ventress. "And no idea of what we're looking for." Just as soon as she said this, an image of Xerxes head appeared in front of them.

"Good, you are awake. You are required to find three items. These items are jewels and are found in remote regions of this area. Should you meet another team, you are free to group up with them and help to find your items together, but once you do you are officially a team, and losing one person in that large of a grouping will have you all killed. Also, there are numerous dangers in the jungle, so take caution. You have been warned. Now, your first item is a blue jewel at the bottom of this lake. Once you find it, I will tell you where your next item is. Good luck, and may you vanquish the odds," said Xerxes, his head disappearing.

"Well that's comforting," said Ahsoka. She and Ventress both looked at the lake.

_"What I'd give to have Taran here right now,"_ Ahsoka thought. _"I hope Ceran's not giving him too much problems."_

"Alright, come on whelp," said Ventress, jerking the link for Ahsoka to follow her. Ahsoka glared at her.

"Lead the way harpy," said Ahsoka. Ventress glowered at her before she moved and began walking into the lake. She jumped back a bit, shivering. The water was freezing.

"Not very bright of you was it," said Ahsoka almost mockingly. Ventress glared at her before she dove in, causing Ahsoka to get dragged into the water. The ice-cold water pierced her skin, making her body temperature plummet. She kicked her way to the surface, spitting out water and shivering heavily.

"What's your problem?" she yelled as Ventress resurfaced, smirking.

"Aww, can't hold up against the cold?" said Ventress using a child-like voice. Ahsoka was staring daggers at her. She wondered if she would have preferred Dooku or even Grievous to Ventress.

"Lighten up girl," said Ventress. "There's worse things."

"You seem to know a lot about that," said Ahsoka. Ventress rolled her eyes.

"Look, I don't want to die and I know you don't want to die, so we're going to have to work together," said Ventress.

"I know that, but your attitude is not helping this situation," said Ahsoka, hugging her body with her arms in effort to stay warm.

"How's this for attitude: either you come with me quietly or I drag you down. Your choice," said Ventress. Ahsoka looked at her, wanting to say something back, but she knew it was pointless.

"Fine," she said.

"Good," said Ventress. The 'team' took a deep breath before they dove under water. The water was so cold, Ahsoka wondered how she could move her arms at all. The water felt like it was stabbing her skin all over, and her blood felt frozen in her skin. Beside her, Ventress was swimming like the water didn't bother her. However, they had to time their strokes together else they got nowhere but another moment longer in the freezing water as it slowed their blood circulation and lowered their body temperatures down even further.

The water was pitch-black looking down, only the light from the surface reflecting from the top. They didn't know where they were going, only seeking to find the bottom of the lake. The water pressure was steadily increasing, their eardrums straining to keep the pressure from affecting them as they descended into the depths. A few more feet down from their current position, at 25 feet below the surface, they reached the bottom. The bottom was made of sifting mud, which meant if they tried to scoop or churn it up, a heavy cloud of it would obscure their vision.

The need for air was apparent, but they tried to stay underwater for as long as they could to find any leads on what they were looking for. However, they couldn't go on for much longer and so they came up to the surface, sucking in air as soon as their heads breached the surface. Ahsoka's body was violently shivering, feeling her body temperature dropping by the minute. Ventress took notice of this and thought about hurling another insult, but seeing Ahsoka in this state only made her feel pity.

"One more try, then we can get back to land," said Ventress, sounding like her regular self, but Ahsoka could detect a sympathetic tone underlying. She nodded and the two took another deep breath before diving back into the water. They were able to swiftly get down to the bottom, now fully working in sync as they searched for their item. Carefully making sure that they weren't touching the silt at the bottom, they scanned for any sign or trace of it.

Three minutes passed by and still nothing, and they both knew they only had about two more minutes of air left. Ahsoka felt her body going numb and she couldn't feel her fingers as they continued swimming below the depths. If they didn't find it fast, she was afraid that her body would shut down and she could possibly go into hypothermia.

Ventress scanned in another direction and thought she saw something glimmer. She turned to the spot and sure enough a blue glow was coming from there. She nudged Ahsoka to look in that direction and sure enough she saw it. They rapidly began to swim towards the glow, moving in perfect sync to reach their destination. It took them half a minute to get to the source of the light. A blue jewel, swimming with an inner light, was lying on the silt. Ventress reached out and grabbed it.

At once the water temperature began to drop dramatically. Thinking fast they both made a break for the surface. Though she only had one arm to use, Ventress could still swim unhindered.

For Ahsoka, it was a different story. Her arms were starting to not respond to her body commands, and she felt the increasing urge to sleep as her legs began to kick slower. Her vision was also starting to blur as well as the beginning effects of hypothermia began to set it. Ventress noticed that she was slowing down and reached back with her free hand to grab her hand and began to kick furiously to the surface of the lake. Ice was forming rapidly on the surface and it was only a matter before they were trapped underneath.

5. 4. 3. 2. 1...

Their heads both breached the surface, heading back to the shore as fast as they could while the ice swirled around them. They managed to get to the shore just as their strength was about to give out. Hauling themselves out of the water they crawled until they were a good distance away. Ahsoka was shivering violently. In the distance the sun was setting and night would soon be upon them. Ventress saw tree branches on the jungle floor and used the Force to move them towards them. She organized them into a pile and looked for something to light it. There were various small stones around them and she began to look for anything that could make a spark. Her fingers soon glazed over a piece of flint and she picked it up. It was a decent size, one that could get the job done. She took off her belt and lined it up so that when the flint struck the metal areas of the belt, the sparks would catch on the sticks and start a fire. She struck the flint a few times and it took a minute to get the fire started. She blew on the small embers to get it bigger and in ten minutes they had a crackling fire.

Ahsoka felt instant relief from the warmth the fire gave.

"Thank you," she said softly to Ventress.

"Don't mention it," said Ventress. They continued resting in silence, the only sound coming from the fire and the wind blowing calmly though the jungle. Ahsoka was thankful for what Ventress did, but Ventress was still a foe. Nevertheless, she still helped her when she was down.

_"I hope everyone else is alright,"_ she thought.

* * *

(Anakin and Dooku)

The two men woke up side-by-side. When they noticed, dark looks graced their facial features.

"Look Count, I don't like this as much as you-"

"The feeling is mutual Skywalker."

"-but we have to work together. Then once we're done we can go back to killing each other," said Anakin. Dooku glowered, but thought about it for a minute.

"Fine," said Dooku. The two stood up just as the head of Xerxes shimmered in front of them.

"Good, you're awake. Your item is a jewel," he said, an image of a pink jewel shimmering next to him," and is located somewhere in this jungle. You have one day to find it. Your second item will be revealed tomorrow." He disappeared after he was finished speaking.

"What now Skywalker?"

"Isn't it obvious? We're gonna be sent on a wild goose chase around the jungle. For now let's just find it as fast as possible," said Anakin.

"Lead the way then," said Dooku. Anakin glowered and turned towards a direction he believed was right and started walking, Dooku close behind.

(4 hours later)

They were now drenched in sweat and their mood was considerably darkened.

"Skywalker, this plan isn't working," said Dooku, picking a tree branch out of his hair.

"Any bright ideas then?" said Anakin. They stepped out into a clearing and saw a massive rock pile in front of them, with rocks ranging from pebbles to massive boulders that stretched up to about thirty feet in the air. At the top was a pink jewel that shimmered on top of it like a bejeweled crown.

"That was easy," said Anakin.

"Too easy," said Dooku. They cautiously looked at each other before they started walking to the pile. Cautiously observing the rocks, they began to steadily climb up. Anakin could climb without much difficulty on the average rocks, but Dooku was slightly struggling. He was already sweating profusely, and his attempts to climb boulders such as one that you had to jump at least five feet to get your fingertips to grasp the edge proved harder than anticipated. Anakin was mostly slowed down by him. He could only look at the old man with pity as he struggled up. Eventually though, the two were able to reach the top. Catching his breath for a moment, Anakin grasped the jewel and plucked it out as if it were just a flower in freshly potted soil.

Suddenly the rock pile shook with such violent force that Dooku and Anakin were thrown from the top and hurtled towards the ground. Using the Force they both landed on the ground safely, however Anakin looked up and saw a massive boulder shoot off from the pile and head straight towards Dooku.

"Look out!" he yelled, pushing Dooku out of the way of the boulder's path. The boulder flattened into the ground as other rocks landed in various places around the clearing. Dooku slowly got up and looked around. Rather than thank Anakin for virtually saving his life, he got up and picked up the jewel Anakin had dropped to save him.

"Two more to go," said Dooku.

"You're welcome," said Anakin, glowering at him.

* * *

(Ceran and Taran)

The hot jungle humidity was making the two 'brothers' sweat profusely, trudging through the mud and swampy water. Xerxes had told them of their jewel to acquire. It was green and was somewhere within the swamp region they were currently in.

Taran lead the way as Ceran took the rear. Weird animal noises and sounds could be heard from any direction, and they could both sense lifeforms in the surrounding jungle around them. They were hoping they were friendly. They mostly traveled in silence, that is until Ceran decided to break the ice.

"So, what is it with you and that Ahsoka girl anyway?" said Ceran. Taran stopped and turned around to face him, a serious expression on him, which was a warning sign for "be careful what you say."

"Why does it matter?" said Taran. "As I recall you've tried to kill me and her on many separate occasions, so why bother?"

"Well I know there's definitely something there, which I'm pretty sure you're dating, but then again that's an assumption, but your actions prove otherwise," said Ceran. "Correct me if I'm wrong?"

Taran said nothing, but continued to trudge on through the muck. A minute of uncomfortable silence followed before Ceran spoke again.

"I have someone," said Ceran. Taran stopped and turned to look at him, a look of amazement on his face.

"What?"

"Well it didn't turn out that way. I raided an Elementian village on a colony planet and I spared her and the rest of her village. She was to be a slave. However, over time, it turned into something else. This galaxy does strange things to the beings it lives in," said Ceran.

"You can't be serious," said Taran.

"I am, very. She's actually the reason why I mellowed out," said Ceran. Taran raised an eyebrow in skepticism and disbelief.

"Okay, by a very small amount," said Ceran. They continued walking.

"You still basically saved my life though," said Taran. "I guess I can thank you for that."

"No thanks are needed," said Ceran. He stopped. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" said Taran. Ceran silenced him and pointed to their right. Sure as daylight, the heard what sounded like snoring.

"Should we check it out?" said Taran.

"Do bison's fly?" said Ceran. They crept towards the sound. Every inch they got closer, the sound got louder and louder. Pretty soon it was obvious that there was more than one thing making that sound. They kept advancing until they came to a clearing, where they stood amazed at what they saw.

In front of them was a herd of about fifty creatures the likes of which they had never seen. The creatures were grey and about the size of a small crab droid unit. They had ten ivory horns arranged around their faces in various intervals, with the largest two protruding from their mouths in their cheeks and two medium-sized ones out of their foreheads with the other six arranged around or between them. Their body composition was bulky and showed they were more for brute force than for running, emphasized by their stubby legs. Their hide seemed to be like rocks and they had almost mistook them for rocks if one of the younger creatures hadn't stirred in its sleep. What worried the two the most was that the jewel they were seeking was in the middle of the herd next to the largest creature that appeared to be the leader.

"I'm gonna assume that these things are dangerous," said Ceran.

"What should we do?" said Taran.

"We could use the Force?" said Ceran. He tried to lift it, yet found that the jewel wouldn't budge one way or another.

"Bending will be too loud. We're going to have to do this the old-fashioned wait," said Taran.

"Your plan sucks," said Ceran. Begrudgingly, they both began to take light steps towards the herd. That was the easy part, but now the extremely difficult part was to come. They stopped once at the edge of the herd, looked towards each other, and began to step between the creatures. They had to take their time and control their breathing to coordinate between themselves. They flinched every time they took a step out of fear that each step might have woken one of them up.

Their painfully slow process went on as they calmly stepped past the hulking creatures. As Ceran took another step, a small, young creature scooted over until its sin was touching his leg. Ceran froze and looked down at the youngling. It was still asleep, but he was afraid that if he moved it would wake up. Taran noticed and held out his hands to use the Force. Ceran saw the youngling's side raise up sot that his leg wasn't touching it and quickly moved it .

They continued until they reached the center, near where the jewel was. The leader of the herd was snoozing noisily beside them as they thought of how to retrieve the jewel.

"So, any takers?" said Ceran.

"Either way, it's gonna be extremely difficult," said Taran. The jewel was within 8 feet of them, but the problem was that the leader's tail was swishing back and forth between them and the jewel, at random times. There really wasn't a safe time for them to try and grab it. Taran thought for a minute before he came up with an idea.

"Mind if you can jump to the other side?"

"What?"

"Use my back to propel off and land near it, then I'll use the Force while you jump to pull you back so his tail doesn't hit you," said Taran.

"Hmm, not bad Cyneran," said Ceran. Taran got down on his hands and knees as Ceran climbed on top of his back and balanced himself, focusing on the jewel's location. Once he was at a proper medium he jumped off his back. He used the Force to slow his descent so that he landed right next to the jewel without making a single sound. He gingerly picked up the jewel and jumped up again, to which Taran used the Force to have in float in midair and land gently next to him.

"Piece of cake," said Taran. They both turned around and stopped dead in their tracks. A young calf was looking at them, wondering what they were and why they were there.

"Don't..move..a..muscle," said Taran slowly and quietly. The calf continued gazing at them for a long time, making it very uncomfortable for them to hold their position.

"Will this thing move?" said Ceran. The calf continued gazing at them before it turned around and walked away.

"Spirits that was close," said Taran. They felt hot, musky air blowing on their backs, as well as the breathing sound that came with it.

"Do you feel that?" said Taran.

"Unfortunately yes," said Ceran. They slowly turned around to see the leader looking down at them, its tusks bared and a mad look in its eyes.

"Shall we run for our lives?" said Taran.

"If you don't mind," said Ceran.

* * *

The forest was quiet in this area, the many jungle noises complimenting the environment. Suddenly, all noises stopped, being replaced by what sounded like screaming and the trampling of many feet. Suddenly a giant bush rustled and two humans ran out, running for their dear lives, followed by an entire herd of horned grey creatures braying and roaring, their tusks bared to kill.

"AHHHH!" yelled Taran and Ceran as they kept a healthy distance from the the creatures, but they were slowly losing ground.

Ceran looked around to see if there was any way to get out of this. Suddenly, he stopped, causing Taran to keep running until the chain reached maximum length and his arm was pulled back sharply to make him land flat on his back.

"What are you doing?" yelled Taran as he got up, the herd rapidly charging towards them.

"Did you forget about bending?" said Ceran. Taran's eyes brightened as the two stared at the herd, flames starting to dance on their hands.

The forest was once again filled with its exotic noises before it grew quiet again and the large herd came running back in the opposite direction, scared out of their wits. The leader was in the front, ahead of all the others.

"And don't come back you overgrown walking boulders!" yelled Ceran. Seeing that the danger was over, Ceran placed the jewel down on the ground and looked at the sky.

"It'll be dark soon," said Ceran.

"Let's get a fire going," said Taran. Before long, as in less than a minute, a crackling fire was already made as the two 'brothers' collected leafs and branches to feed the fire. Seeing that they had enough they sat down and watched the flames dance and crackle as evening turned to night. They sat in silence for awhile as the day's memories flooded their heads.

"Yes," said Taran.

"Yes what?" said Ceran.

"There is something between me and Ahsoka," said Taran.

"I knew it," said Ceran, smiling a little.

"She's my girlfriend," said Taran.

"Interesting choice. Really don't see many Humans going for Togruta," said Ceran. "Actually if I recollect it's very rare."

"True, but I love her all the same. We basically grew up together, so I've known her all my life," said Taran.

"Isn't that just sweet," said Ceran teasingly. Taran glared before it turned into a small smile.

"What's her name?" Taran asked.

"Kara," said Ceran.

"She's Water Tribe?" said Taran. Ceran nodded.

"Well, she's mixed with Fire Nation and Water Tribe, but she's mostly Water Tribe," said Ceran.

"Oh. Where's she now?" said Taran.

"I secretly returned her to Republic City. I visit her every now and again," said Ceran. However, Taran noticed that he looked saddened when he said that.

"You miss her, don't you?" said Taran.

"Everyday. She changed the way I see things. The things I've done, the people I've harmed, they all keep coming back to me. At first I tried to ignore it, but now they keep coming back as nightmares. I don't know what's right or wrong anymore," said Ceran.

"Well you were brought up by the dark side, it only makes sense," said Taran.

"You act as if the dark side is completely evil. The Jedi have their drawbacks as well," said Ceran.

"Like what?"

"Can you and Ahsoka ever go around holding hands or everyone knows you're together?" said Ceran. At this, Taran was silent.

"I thought so," said Ceran. "You have more freedom in the dark."

"But the things you, Dooku, and Grievous do are horrible. How can you live with yourself?" said Taran.

"As if you haven't killed in war. Remember Julla, and Vindi?" said Ceran. Taran remembered the horrors of war from countless battles and campaigns, recollecting the carnage and slaughter he'd witnessed.

"Any way you look at, good or evil, we're all killers. Only thing that separates you, me and others from the droids is that we have a choice to kill, and most of the time we do it anyway," said Ceran. Taran had never thought of it that way, if at all.

"I don't think this war will ever end," said Taran.

"It'll come, a lot sooner than you think," said Ceran. His face darkened as he looked at him. "Hopefully you're still alive by then to witness it, that is if I don't kill you first."

"Same here," said Taran. They both glared at each other before smiles replaced their frowns.

"It's getting dark. Knowing Xerxes, he has something really nasty planned for us tomorrow," said Taran.

"Sounds accurate. Night," said Ceran, laying down and rolling on his side to have his back towards Taran. Taran did the same, his back facing Ceran. He looked up at the stars.

_"I hope you all are alright,"_ he thought before his eyes closed and he ventured into sleep.

**Hope you enjoyed the first day's adventures. Sorry it's been too long. Reason I didn't have Grievous and Obi-Wan's story was because, in all honesty, it's too predictable. Grievous will always be the same no matter what, however I might do a small flashback. Anyway, I'm currently typing up the next chapter and hope to have it out soon. Remember to review and also check out my forum about Taran. See you soon.**


	5. Second Day and Cooperation

Both Ceran and Taran awoke to find the image of Xerxes floating above them.

"Good job on collecting you first item game players," he said, levitating the gem before it disappeared. "You're next item is a violet-colored gem in the mountains. Good luck." He disappeared without a further trace.

"What mountains?" said Taran. Ceran pointed, and sure enough the peaks of a mountain range were in the horizon above the treeline.

"Shouldn't be too hard," said Ceran.

* * *

Ahsoka was shaken awake as Ventress urged her to get up. She groaned as her eyes opened in time to see Xerxes' image.

"Well done for your efforts in collecting the gem. Your next task is to go to the mountain range in the distance and find the next gem," said Xerxes.

"What color is it?" said Ventress.

"It is orange. Happy hunting," said Xerxes as he disappeared.

"Yeah that tells us a lot," said Ventress sarcastically.

"Come on, the sooner we find this gem the better," said Ahsoka.

* * *

"How far have we gone so far?" said Ceran.

"I'd say about 15 miles," Taran said tiredly. They had been walking for an hour now since they had been running previously, and exhaustion was starting to creep up on them. The sun was at mid-afternoon, but they could barely tell because of the fog around them. They were high up in the mountain passes, but the fog allowed them to see about ten feet in every direction, so it wasn't particularly thick or difficult to see.

"Let's rest for awhile," said Taran. He and Ceran laid down on the rocky floor, slightly panting. Ceran saw water trickling down on the rocks near them and bent it off of them to collect enough until there was a small orb hovering in front of them. He split it in half and the two bent their respective halves to their mouths to drink.

"Thanks," said Taran as he relished the coolness of the water. Ceran nodded in welcome. They spent the next five minutes resting and catching their breaths before they got up and started walking again. Taran's eyes scanned around for any glimmer or glow from their respective jewel. Everything was quiet, only a slight breeze the only sound made in the pass.

As they kept going, Ceran heard what sounded like footsteps behind them. He slightly turned his head to look and thought for a fleeting second he saw a figure in the fog.

He stopped, causing the chain holding them to stop Taran in his tracks. He turned to ask him why he stopped when he saw Ceran staring behind them into the fog. Taran sensed that something was coming, but he couldn't figure out what it was. He tugged on the chain to get Ceran's attention. Wordlessly he looked to the mass of boulders that flanked the pass to suggest that they moved, which Ceran obliged as they silently bent the rocks around them to conceal them. Then they waited.

Two figures were slowly emerging from the fog as Ceran and Taran tensed up, waiting to strike. Once the figures were close enough, they threw the rocks away from them and pounced on them.

Taran was met with a kick as Ceran was hit with a fist, but the blows hardly phased them as they subdued their attackers.

"Guys, stop! It's us!" yelled Ahsoka. She was in a stranglehold by Ceran as Taran had Ventress in a leg lock that if he were to move it would have broken her leg.

"Oh, sorry," said Ceran as he let her go. Taran did likewise as the girls got up and shook the gravel off of themselves.

"How did you get up here?" said Taran.

"We walked," said Ventress. Taran rolled his eyes, brushing off her sarcastic statement.

"It's no coincidence that all four of us ended up here," said Ceran. "Xerxes is planning something for us, and it's probably very unpleasant."

"Whatever it is, it can't be too bad," said Ahsoka. A loud roar echoed off the pass's walls, causing them all to look around in shock and horror. Another roar sounded, and it sounded closer than the other roar.

"I vote we find shelter," said Ceran as all of them started running as fast as they could, rapidly disappearing in the fog.

* * *

It was night time by the time they found a suitable place. Rain was starting to pour down, followed by thunder and lightning. The cave they found had a waterfall entrance and they had almost walked past it had Ventress not seen the cave entrance that lead to the cave. They all huddled together in the cave to wait out the storm. At first they started to despair about finding their respective jewels before they all turned to see the three jewels they were looking for together, as well as three keys.

Taran picked up his jewel as Ahsoka took the other one, to which Xerxes' head appeared.

"As you can tell, your meeting was no coincidence. I have decided to change the rules a bit. You will find keys that can unlock your cuffs, but the same rule of your partner dying still applies. The other two will be here soon. Hope this makes things a tad bit more...easier. ," said Xerxes as he disappeared again.

"Finally, these cuffs were starting to chafe me," said Ceran as he took the key and unlocked the cuff on his hand, sighing as he stretched it out and rubbed the sore area. Ventress did likewise to her and Ahsoka's cuffs.

"So what now?" said Taran.

"I guess we stay here for the night. Knowing Xerxes, he'll have something very unpleasant for us tomorrow," said Ahsoka.

* * *

(Tia and Bruck)

She and Bruck had reached the mountain pass an hour ago and were still walking. Their own little adventure to retrieve their first jewel had been...difficult, but they succeeded in the end.

(Flashback)

_Vines lashed out at them as they tried to leave the jungle, their jewel in Bruck's hands._

_"I knew this was a bad idea!" yelled Tia as the two ran for their lives as the jungle became alive around them. They continued to jump over vines and duck, dive, and dodge between the lashing whips as they tried to grasp them and drag them away to parts unknown._

_As they ran, Bruck looked to their left and saw light, which meant that the edge of the forest was near._

_"Tia, run to the left!" he said._

_"Are you crazy?" she yelled, jumping over a swinging vine._

_"Trust me!" he yelled. They both took a sharp turn left, the vines following them. They covered the distance to the end of the jungle in no time, yet just as they reached the end, Tia stumbled as a vine tripped her, causing her to fall on her front. Another vine grabbed her by the ankle and began to pull her back._

_"Bruck!" she yelled. Bruck stopped and turned to see her about to be dragged off, which meant he would be dragged off with her. Thinking quickly, he threw the jewel so that it landed in the ground just outside of the jungle and ran back for Tia. He dived and grasped her hand in his. Getting up as best he could, he began to pull, trying to tug her away from the vine. The vine tried to viciously drag Tia off, but Bruck's strength caused it to begin to lose its battle. Tia twisted her feet around so that the foot that was caught and her free foot made a pincer. Using all the strength she had in her lower legs, she pressed them together to sever the vine. It took awhile, but eventually she was able to tear off the small part of the vine._

_The vine 'shrieked' as it slithered back into the jungle. Bruck and Tia were heavily panting as they ran for the edge of the jungle again, falling to the ground near the jewel._

_"Thank you," she said breathlessly as she sat up to look at him, her eyes bright with gratitude._

_"Anytime," said Bruck as he smiled back at her. A silent moment passed between them as they continued to gaze at each other before their faces slowly moved in..._

_"Well done, you're one-third of the way done. Your next jewel is in the mountains. Good luck game players," said Xerxes, causing the two to separate quickly. Their jewel disappeared along with Xerxes' image. _

_"Come on, let's go," said Tia, somewhat crestfallen. _

_"Wait, Tia," said Bruck, but Tia didn't respond and instead the two got up and began their trek to the mountains in silence._

(End flashback)

And so they continued. Bruck didn't know what to think. One minute, Tia and him were about kiss, something he wished he had the courage to do months ago, and now she was ignoring him. What had happened? Had he done something? Was it all part of the heat of the moment?

"Tia, please talk to me," said Bruck.

"There's nothing to talk about Bruck," said Tia.

"Yes there is. What happened back there?" said Bruck. Tia stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes downcast.

"I...well...," she tried to say, but no words came to mind to describe how she was feeling.

"Tia," he said, stepping forward till he was right in front of her, standing dangerously close to her. He was a head taller than her, causing her to look up at him.

"I like you," said Bruck. "I have for awhile now." Tia's eyes widened. She knew there was an attraction between them, but she didn't think he would reciprocate them.

"I do too Bruck, but I need more time to think about this," she said finally. His hands softly gripped her belly as he caressed her exposed skin. Her style of dress was very similar to Ahsoka's earlier outfits except that they were black and her top was connected with her pants by a 3-inch strip that went down to cover a strip that went over her bellybutton. Bruck wore traditional Jedi robes that were light-brown, a shade darker than Taran's.

"I know," he said as her arms wrapped around his back. Thunder sounded and a few drops of rain began to fall.

"Let's go find some shelter," said Bruck as the two searched for a place to hide to wait out the approaching storm. Tia saw a waterfall and automatically knew that behind it was some kind of outlet or cove to shield them from the storm.

"This way," she said. They both approached the waterfall entrance, hastily jumping through it to minimize getting their clothes wet. Once they crossed it, startled gasps alerted them to the fact that the cave was inhabited.

"Bruck? Tia?" said Taran and Ahsoka. Bruck and Tia saw Ahsoka, Ceran, Taran, and Ventress in the cave as well.

"Thank the Force you guys are okay," said Tia as she came in and hugged her two friends.

"We're fine. Your second jewel is here as well, and a key to free you from the cuffs, but the same rules apply," said Ahsoka.

"Not bad, I thought he had something even worse planned for us," said Bruck. A flash of lightning illuminated the cave they were in, causing them all to momentarily hold their breath before they relaxed when they remembered they were in a cave, followed by the loud booming of thunder. Bruck and Tia hastily removed their cuffs and went to sit down. The cave was large, and there appeared to be more it in the back, but that would be explored later. For now they sat in their own sections of the cave, but still relatively close by each other

Ahsoka sat next to Taran, laying her head down on his chest.

"Ahsoka, Ceran knows," said Taran.

"About what?"

"Us," he said. Her eyes widened in shock.

"How?"

"He kind of figured it out," said Taran. "But I confirmed it."

"So you told him?" said Ahsoka.

"Yes, we were having a 'moment' after the first challenge," said Taran.

"Taran.."

"I know, it was the smartest thing, but I think maybe I can get him to change," said Taran.

"Taran, some people can't change," said Ahsoka.

"But he saved my life, twice already," said Taran.

"That's because he'll die too if you do," said Ahsoka.

"The first time was back when we were sent to find the ring. If Ceran hadn't healed me enough to go help Obi-Wan, me and him would be dead," said Taran. Ahsoka thought about this for a minute.

"I don't know his motives for that, but don't trust him too much," said Ahsoka. Though he didn't want to believe that, he nodded anyway. Ahsoka got up and walked off towards Ceran. Ceran was spinning rocks around in his hand like a mini tornado. He looked up to see Ahsoka standing over him.

"Hey Sunshine, why the serious face?" he said.

"Don't call me that," Ahsoka said sternly as she sat down.

"Someone doesn't like me too much, does she?" said Ceran.

"You know why I don't," said Ahsoka.

"Enlighten me," said Ceran, smirking a little.

"Let's see, you always try to find some way to harm or even kill Taran and me, you tried to drown me on Julla, and you helped to turn Taran evil, even if it was for barely an hour," said Ahsoka.

"So I'm guessing you're not overly fond of me," said Ceran.

"I'm going to be very clear with you. I love Taran, and I don't want to see him hurt by you or anyone else for that matter. I don't know what kind of game you're pulling with Taran, but if you're helping him to get him to trust you to try and harm him, I won't hesitate to end you," said Ahsoka, darkly.

"Duly noted Sunshine," said Ceran.

"Ahsoka, can I talk to you please?" said Tia. Glaring at Ceran one last time, Ahsoka moved over to where Tia was.

"Can I talk to you about something?" said Tia.

"Sure," said Ahsoka.

"If you like someone, and they like you back, but you're afraid about breaking the rules, what would you do?" said Tia. At first Ahsoka was shocked, but not because of the question. She would have never suspected that Tia had romantic interests with anyone.

"Who is it?" said Ahsoka. Tia's eyes moved to Bruck, who was currently talking to Taran at the moment.

"Bruck?" said Ahsoka, her eyes widening in surprise and barely contained joy. Tia nodded. Barely containing her squeal, Ahsoka tried to calm down as best as she could without making a sound. Finally serene, she began the conversation again.

"How did you know you liked him?" said Ahsoka.

"Well, I'm not sure. One day I saw him as a friend, the next thing I know, I'm looking at him in a completely new and different way," said Tia. "And I can't help how I feel about him. We nearly kissed before we got here."

"And did Bruck tell you he likes you too?" said Ahsoka. Tia nodded.

"Then what's stopping you?" said Ahsoka.

"The code, and the Order wouldn't like that either," said Tia.

"Tia, want me to let you in on a secret," said Ahsoka.

"Sure," said Tia.

"I'm with someone now," said Ahsoka. Tia's eyes widened.

"Who? Is it that Lux guy?" said Tia.

"No," said Ahsoka, though she did remember their interactions from time to time.

"Then, who is..." she said before she noticed Ahsoka's gaze towards Taran, who was laughing at something Bruck had said.

"Taran?! For how long?" said Tia, immensely surprised.

"Almost two years now," said Ahsoka.

"You hid it for two years? And you didn't tell me?" said Tia in fake hurt.

"I know, but we didn't want to risk the Council finding out and kicking us out. Me and Taran love being Jedi, and we want to help others," said Ahsoka. "But if we had to choose between being Jedi and spending the rest of our lives together, we'd choose each other."

"Aww," said Tia, her eyes shining with emotion. "I always had a feeling you two loved each other."

"Some things are worth giving up, to be with the one you love. Remember that Tia," said Ahsoka. Tia's gaze went over to Bruck, who returned it as he took a second to look in her direction, both smiling at each other.

* * *

Rain and lightning pounded the outside environment, but the six of them were safe in the cave. They lay in a semicircle, with the four Jedi in the middle, Ceran on the outer right and Ventress on the outer left. Ahsoka was next to Taran and Bruck was next to Tia. Taran's arm was wrapped protectively around Ahsoka, it having migrated there during his sleep. She had woken up at first when he did, but smiled to herself when she realized whose arm it was.

Taran was sleeping soundly when he felt vibrations from the ground. He slowly sat up, making sure he didn't disturb Ahsoka, and put his hand on the ground. Sure enough, something was moving outside and it was big. He carefully got onto his legs and began walking to the entrance, going as quietly as possible. Once he was near the cascading water, he used his finger to bend some of the water to make a clear line of sight and peeked through it. When he saw what was outside, he froze in panic and fear.

Outside were two lizard-like monsters. The monsters were bipedal, and stood at twelve feet tall. They had greyish underbellies, with the rest of their body covered in reddish-scales. They had two small horns that looked more like spikes on their heads above each eye to resemble bull horns. They had sharp teeth that resembled knives lining their jaws and two small arms that looked like they couldn't reach anything to save their lives. Their large, long tails kept them upright to serve as balance, and possibly as a weapon. Their harsh yellow eyes scanned the area, lowering their heads down to smell the ground.

"I felt them too," said Ceran, nearly scaring Taran out of his wits since he was so focused on the monsters.

"What do we do?" said Taran.

"Get everyone up and to the tunnel. Be as quiet as possible," said Ceran. Taran, as quietly as he could, shook Ahsoka awake. He covered her mouth as she opened her eyes so that she didn't yawn. Her eyes questioned him before he pointed to the cave entrance, where she could make out the creatures moving around outside. Taran pointed to the back of the cave where the tunnel started and she immediately understood. As quietly as she could, Ahsoka shook Tia whilst Ceran woke up Ventress and Bruck, doing likewise, and they all began to silent tread to the back of the cave.

A pathway/ramp lead up to the cave, followed by a low, eight foot wall. The group began to effortlessly climb it. Just as Tia hooked her fingers to the top of the wall, the piece she was holding on broke off. She was in no danger from falling due to her strength and dexterity, but the rock was another story. Thinking as fast as he could, Taran tried to stop the rock, even running after it, but he couldn't get there in time...

The rock clattered to the ground, echoing around the cave before rolling out under the waterfall into the storm outside. Taran froze still. The creatures both saw the rock and one of them sniffed it, baring its teeth. It slowly approached the waterfall, its head breaking through the natural flow of the water. Its eyes looked around to see for signs of any movement, but all it could see was darkness since its eyes could not pick up low levels of light. Taran was ten feet away, and near directly in front of the creature. He noticed that the creature was having trouble seeing him. He began to move back to the group as slowly, hoping that his movement wouldn't attract the creatures. Unfortunately, luck was never really on his side.

A flash of lightning lit up the cave, and it only took a second for the creature to see Taran. It roared and moved for him. Taran unleashed a fireball at the creature to distract it and bolted back up the natural ramp. The other creature followed after him, as did the other. Taran felt them behind him, and he needed to reach the wall fast. He prepared to Force jump from where he was, leaping into the air. He had one foot down on the top of the wall, seeing the others making their way to the inside of the cave, before he felt a strong pull, followed by searing pain on his right, that dragged him back.

"Taran!" yelled Ahsoka. One of the creatures had gripped its jaws on his leg and was dragging him back. The others saw too, and wasted no time in running back for him.

Taran was pulled back on the ramp, the creature finally letting him go, but placed its enormous clawed feet on him to keep him in place. Luckily the claws didn't hurt him, but that didn't mean the pressure wasn't any better. The creature looked down on him as he struggled to get out from under it, the other one doing the same. Their teeth bared, dripping with saliva, ready to devour him.

Suddenly, a massive rock pummeled the two back to the cave floor. Taran saw Ceran stop near him in a bending stance.

"Quick, get up and go!" he said, unleashing another boulder at the creatures as they tried to get back up on their hind legs. Ahsoka came to his side and helped him up as he limped, his wound bleeding and making him grit his teeth in pain.

Meanwhile, Ceran was fending off the creatures. One of them had gotten up and charged towards it, but he sent it back down to the ground with a powerful gust of air.

"Go!" yelled Ceran, sending another gust into the creatures to keep them off their feet. Ahsoka had ran down too and helped Taran get on his feet, helping him move towards the back of the cave. Ceran kept the creatures down, one snapping its jaws viciously close to him before uppercutting it with a protrusion from the earth under it. Seeing that they were down for the moment, Ceran raised his hands and bent the ceiling to collapse. Large pieces of it began to fall as he turned and ran. The creatures followed suit, seeking to escape from the collapse themselves. However, they weren't fast enough to evade it. The first creature fell when a large boulder slammed on top of its head, followed by an avalanche of more.

The second creature kept going, dodging a rock from above every now and again. It had nearly reached the entrance to the tunnel before a boulder caught its leg, sending it crashing down. The rest of the cave ceiling came down, burying it completely. The group was plunged into darkness.

Ceran lit a flame in his hand. He went over to see Taran, who was propped on the wall trying to grit his teeth to keep down the sounds of pain with Bruck beside him as Ahsoka and Tia inspected his leg wound, Ventress off to the side. He shown the light near her to help her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. There were eight bite marks on his leg, and they were bleeding. Ceran cursed sine there wasn't any water around, not even feeling any humidity in the air around them.

"Can you walk?" he asked. Taran tried to get to his feet, but failed to. Bruck helped him get to his feet, Taran leaning heavily on him.

"Let's find a way out," said Ceran.

* * *

Anakin and Dooku were still out in the forest, a fire crackling. Their day had been adventurous as well. An entire jungle's vegetation trying to kill you was truly shocking. As they sat in silence, they heard sounds coming from in front of them, as if something was heading towards them. They both stood up, ready to face whatever it was. Anakin tensed as he felt them getting closer, but then relaxed when he felt a familiar presence. From out of the brush came Obi-Wan and Grievous.

"Good thing you're still okay," said Obi-Wan, dirt and muck all over his usually clean appearance. "Not looking your best today Count."

"The same can be said of you Kenobi."

"How's your second day going?" said Anakin.

"Could be better," said Obi-Wan, glaring at Grievous as the cyborg glared back as well. "I just hope the Padawans are okay."

"Knowing Taran and Ahsoka, they'll be fine," said Anakin. "They adapt well to any situation thrown at them."

* * *

The tunnel lead to the edge of the mountains. From then on stretched a land of black ash and volcanic rock. In the distance, a volcano spewed out lava at a slow rate.

"Just when you thought it couldn't get any harder," said Bruck grimly.

**Sorry for the long wait, summer semester was long and tough, but now it's over. Unfortunately band camp has started and so the next chapter will be awhile. Thanks for the support, there are only three more stories until Order 66!**


End file.
